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| December 19, 2006 | Tuesday | Ziqa'ad 27, 1427 |
Australians learnt from 2005 defeat: Ponting
PERTH, Dec 18: Ricky Ponting was not surprised at how quickly Australia regained the Ashes, saying his team had delivered on a promise to learn from their mistakes of 2005.
Ponting said the Australians had begun plotting their revenge as soon as they lost to England last year while they were still being taunted about the defeat and their ageing team.
The Australians took note of England's wild celebrations with their players travelling around London in open-top buses, drinking champagne and meeting the Queen.
Australia's response was ruthless and calculated, regaining the Ashes in record time with two matches to spare.
“The planning started the moment we got back from England,” Ponting told reporters after winning the third Test by 206 runs on Monday.
“We sat down then and addressed the whole Ashes series and where we felt we went wrong and what was holding us back. We had a chat about the handbrakes we put on ourselves in that last series.”
There was no hiding the disappointment among Australia's players after they lost their 16-year hold on the Ashes but Ponting said the pain of losing had actually motivated them to greater heights.
The team is unbeaten since the Ashes, winning their last 10 Tests on the trot, and Ponting has scored a mountain of runs to establish himself as the world's best batsmen.
“There was a burning passion within all the boys to make themselves better and make the team better,” he said.
“I wasn't any more disappointed than the next guy in the dressing room at The Oval 15 months ago but there's no doubt I've had a burning desire to be the best player I could be from that moment on and try and lead the team as well as I could.”
Ponting said the key to Australia's turnaround was their recognition that they underperformed in the last Ashes and the need to develop strategies to avoid it happening again.
Meanwhile, England captain Andrew Flintoff dismissed suggestions his team's crushing defeat was the result of bad planning and poor selections.
Flintoff admitted England had underperformed in the first three Tests but said the results had more to do with Australia's outstanding displays than his own team's shortcomings.
“At times we've shown on the field how talented we are... but we've not really been able to apply the pressure on Australia we'd have liked to have done,” Flintoff said.
“Every time we've had a foot in the door they seem to have closed it on us. We never really managed to turn the screw.”
England have been criticised for their short preparation time before the first Test and certain selections, especially the decision to choose spinner Ashley Giles ahead of Monty Panesar in the first two Tests.
The folly of Panesar's omission was shown up when he picked up eight wickets in the third test, including five in the first innings.
But Flintoff said he was satisfied with all the selections and the performances of his players. He said everyone had made a contribution at some stage but they just had not done it at the same time.
“I stick by the side we took out there and I'm adamant we took the best side we could into the first two games,” he said.—Reuters
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